‘Ai Weiwei’s Turandot,’ Behind-the-Scenes Look at His Radical Opera Production, Lands Sales Deal With Rise and Shine

‘Ai Weiwei’s Turandot,’ Behind-the-Scenes Look at His Radical Opera Production, Lands Sales Deal With Rise and Shine

Maxim Derevianko’s “Ai Weiwei’s Turandot” has been picked up by Berlin-based doc specialist Rise and Shine World Sales, ahead of its international premiere on March 21 in the Highlights section of the Copenhagen documentary festival CPH:DOX. The film follows Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he makes his debut as an opera director at the Rome Opera House, with a radical interpretation of Puccini’s century-old masterpiece. As well as pre…

Ai Weiwei’s art and activism explored in first US retrospective

A new retrospective at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) on the work of Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, who has consistently challenged authoritarianism and championed free expression throughout his 40-year career, could not be more timely. At a press preview last Friday, just hours after Donald Trump cut $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University over their Gaza protests and a few days before the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, CEO of SA…